Page 99 of The Hotel Room

Emily grinned, holding up the makeshift prop. “It’s very official. Top-tier craftsmanship here.”

Lily spun blindly in a circle, one hand clutching the paper tail and the other stretched out for balance.

“Mom! Look! I’m dizzy!” she shouted, wobbling dramatically before laughing so hard she had to sit down.

Kate smiled, her heart softening at the sight.

“You’re supposed to stick the tail on the donkey, not collapse in the grass,” she teased gently.

“Noah spun me too hard!” Lily whined, tugging the blindfold off and glaring at her brother, though her grin betrayed her mock anger.

Noah shrugged, smirking. “You said you wanted a challenge.”

Emily giggled, stepping forward to ruffle Lily’s hair. “How about I spin you next, but just a little bit? Deal?”

Lily nodded eagerly, already hopping to her feet.

Kate watched them for a moment longer, something warm blooming in her chest.

She hadn’t expected this—this sense of normalcy creeping back into their lives.

It wasn’t perfect. Far from it.

There was still tension. Still things left unsaid, unresolved.

But for now, in this moment, the laughter, the sunlight, the easy companionship—

It felt like a small piece of peace.

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The muffled clatter of dishes and Lily’s laughter drifted from the kitchen, where Noah and Emily were washing up together. Their easy banter felt like the backdrop of a different life—a life untouched by the sharp edges of betrayal.

In the living room, Kate sat on the couch, her hands loosely folded in her lap. James sat across from her in the armchair. Sometimes it felt like he was a ghost of the man she had fallen in love with.

Kate’s mind wandered briefly, unbidden, to the conversation that had cut her. The house, the bills, the stability of their life—he’d framed it as though her safety and security were things he could leverage. As if his role as a provider outweighed his failures as a partner.

She remembered the way her stomach had turned at those words. She’d felt small. Like every choice she’d made—staying home, raising the kids—had tethered her to him in a way that could be used against her. It wasn’t just betrayal she had felt; it was humiliation. The idea that he thought her love for him was something he could hold captive through obligation.

Her fingers tightened slightly in her lap now, the memory burning fresh despite the months that had passed. That moment had changed something in her, hardened a part of her heart she didn’t know could break further. And she knew she needed to say it aloud—to make him understand that she would never feel powerless like that again.

Kate cleared her throat, her voice steady but low. “James,” she began, keeping her gaze on her lap. “I need to say something.”

He straightened slightly, his attention sharpening, though she saw the flicker of unease in his eyes.

“If you ever try to control me financially again,” she said, her tone firm and deliberate, “I will leave you.”

Her words landed heavy in the room, echoing in the silence. James’s face paled. He blinked, his mouth parting slightly as if the air had been knocked out of him.

Then, slowly, he slid off the chair. He knelt in front of her, the movement deliberate, almost reverent. He placed his hands lightly on her knees, his head bowed low, as though grounding himself at her feet.

Kate’s breath caught in her throat, her eyes widening in shock at the sight of James kneeling at her feet, his head bowed like a man awaiting judgment. She’d never seen him like this—so raw, so exposed—and the vulnerability in his posture made her chest tighten with conflicting emotions.

“Kate,” he whispered, his voice cracking, “I am so sorry. For everything. For cheating, for trying to control you, for…for breaking us.” His shoulders shook as he drew a ragged breath. “I hate myself for what I’ve done. I’ll never stop hating myself for it. I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to make this right.”

The sight of him kneeling there, raw and open, pierced through her guarded exterior. Kate stiffened, her hands hovering above him for a moment before she rested them gentlyon his shoulders. Her fingers trembled as they made contact, and her throat tightened as she listened to the raw, unguarded emotion in his voice.

“I’ll never hurt you like that again,” he continued, his words muffled against her lap. “I’ll never give you a reason to doubt me. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you, to protect our family.”

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